Disproportionate?

"'CNN's Hezbollah Bureau --Evidently the Statute of Limitations Has Run on the 1983 Murder of 241 in the Beirut Marines Barracks."

The mounting criticism directed at Israel's self-defense is centered on the charge that Israel's response to the shelling of its cities, the murder of eight of its soldiers and kidnapping of two others is somehow "disproportionate."

Anyone leveling that charge ought to be asked for the measure of "proportionality" being employed. And that question should begin with executives at CNN.

Michigan Congressman John Dingell declared on Tuesday night to Larry King that "I think Israel has overreacted."

Israel is a nation of 7 million people, with an active-duty military of approximately 200,000. America is home to approximately 300 million people, with a standing military of 1.4 million.

Thus, speaking proportionately, America's devastating loss of 3,000 on 9/11 would be the same as Israel's loss of approximately 70 of its civilians. Speaking proportionately, Hezbollah's ambush would have killed more than 470 and kidnapped 10. What would America do in response to such an attack in its civilian and military populations if mounted from Mexico or Canada?

And this comparison significantly understates what Israel is responding to.

Although there are many competing sets of data, I count more than 1,500 Israeli deaths due to terrorism attacks since 9/11.

In response to 9/11, America has invaded --justly, and in a great cause-- two sovereign nations since that awful day.

But Israel is acting "disproportionately" in responding to Hezbollah's ambush and killing of eight of its soldiers and murder of two others under the cover of hundreds of randomly aimed rocket attacks on its civilian population?

One fourth of Israel has been confined to bomb shelters since Hezbollah began this war. And Israel is supposed to go only so far but not far enough to stop the rockets that have killed dozens of civilians?

Hezbollah has sophisticated weaponry as well, lethal enough to cripple an Israeli ship and kill four of its sailors, but Israel is supposed to allow an enemy sworn to its utter destruction to enjoy a safe haven within a marathoner's distance of its third largest city?